Former NYPD Officer Charged With Murder After Brooklyn Jogger Katie Suarez Is Stabbed to Death on Her Evening Run

A routine evening run turned into a horrifying tragedy for 28-year-old Katie Suarez, whose life was cut short after she was brutally stabbed along a waterfront running path in Brooklyn, New York. On November 7, 2026, authorities arrested 27-year-old Sayed Mohassib, a former New York City police officer who was working as a public school aide at the time of his arrest. He now faces charges of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with Suarez’s death.

The attack happened on October 30 along the Shore Parkway Greenway in the Bath Beach neighborhood. Suarez, a TD Bank employee who was training for an upcoming New York City Marathon, had finished work and gone out for her usual run. At approximately 7:56 p.m., she spoke with her father by phone and told him she was about half a mile away and would meet him shortly. When she failed to arrive, her worried father went searching along the waterfront path. Around 8:16 p.m., he found his daughter unconscious beneath a tree, suffering from severe injuries to her neck. She was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where doctors placed her on life support. Despite medical efforts, she died three days later.

Investigators spent days reviewing surveillance footage and searching for clues that could identify the attacker. According to reports, video showed a man walking back and forth near the running path around the time of the assault. Detectives eventually traced the individual to a nearby barbershop and identified him as Mohassib. Additional surveillance footage allegedly showed him disposing of garbage bags near his residence on the night of the killing. Investigators believe the weapon may have been discarded with the trash, which was transported to a landfill. Police sources also told news outlets that Mohassib allegedly said he could not remember attacking Suarez, claiming he had blacked out and later woke up covered in blood while holding a knife.

The suspect’s background has added another troubling dimension to the case. Mohassib briefly worked for the NYPD in 2022 before leaving to join the U.S. military. According to law enforcement sources, he was later discharged from military service because of psychological concerns. He reportedly attempted to return to the police department in January 2023, but his request was denied following a psychological evaluation. At the time of the alleged killing, he was employed as a paraprofessional at P.S. 200, an elementary school in Brooklyn. The New York City Department of Education confirmed that he had been suspended following his arrest and said it would move to terminate his employment while providing support to the school community.

Authorities have not established a motive for the killing or confirmed whether Mohassib and Suarez knew each other. Investigators have previously described the attack as apparently random, with no indication that anything was stolen from the victim. The case has also raised questions among local elected officials about how Mohassib was hired and continued working in a public school despite his reported employment history. They have called for a full review of the circumstances surrounding his hiring and continued employment.

For Suarez’s family, the loss has been devastating. Her parents had been expecting to see her after her run, never imagining that a phone call only minutes earlier would become one of their final conversations. Her mother publicly remembered her daughter as a beautiful, hardworking and family-oriented young woman whose life was taken far too soon. As the investigation continues, Mohassib faces serious criminal charges, but he remains legally presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. For Katie’s loved ones and the Brooklyn community, the tragedy has left behind grief, unanswered questions and renewed concerns about safety along the city’s waterfront running paths.

Source: https://people.com/former-nypd-officer-charged-in-fatal-stabbing-of-brooklyn-jogger-katie-suarez-12242414